"So that's the target wyvern flock..."
"Tenma, if we want Jeanne and the others on standby, this seems like the only spot, doesn't it?"
"Yeah. Any closer and I think they'd notice us, and more importantly, there's nowhere to hide around here."
Following Grandpa's suggestion, I decided to create a shelter where Jeanne and Aura could stay hidden while keeping themselves safe.
Right now, we were in a forest about a kilometer away from the rocky mountain where the wyvern flock was flying, taking our final break and holding a strategy meeting.
"I'm going to use some magic, so keep an eye out for the wyverns."
After telling Grandpa and the others that, I used magic in a slightly open area within the forest.
The first thing I did was dig a hole large enough for several people. It was about three meters deep, and I hardened the walls firmly, extending several air vents a short distance away.
Next came the roof — I placed a lid-shaped earthen wall (nearly as strong as stone) over the top, then piled soil on it and lightly packed it down.
Finally, I widened the air vent I'd made on the opposite side from the wyvern flock into a passageway, then sealed the entrance with a hardened earthen lid, and it was done. From the outside, it looked like a small mound — anyone could tell it had been built by someone at a glance, but very few would realize there was a space beneath it where people could hide.
"I'm planning to have the two of you wait in here, but don't use fire inside — just stay inside Slarin for the most part. The only time you'd actually have to spend time in the hole itself is if something unexpected happens and Slarin has to go outside. It's unlikely the wyverns would notice this hole and try to destroy it, but if anything does happen, flee from the entrance, immediately deploy the scorpion-type Golem, and put as much distance between you and them as possible."
A wyvern that fled in our direction might notice the hole and attack, but in that case, anyone other than the three idiots could rush over to help. Amur and Chris might take a little time to arrive, so they'd basically stay with the three idiots, but the rest of our group — me, Grandpa, Shiromaru, and Solomon — could get here in no time. Besides, if it was a wyvern that had been attacked by us and fled, I doubt it would linger somewhere visible — it might scatter the moment we even feigned pursuit.
Well, chasing one down after it escaped would be a pain, so if one tries to flee, I plan to snipe it with magic without worrying about preserving materials.
The rough plan we settled on was this: for wyverns still in the air, Grandpa and I would handle them with magic. For any that landed or fell to the ground, Shiromaru would take point and attack — in this case, Shiromaru's strategy would be hit-and-run strikes aimed at vital points rather than going for the kill, so he could handle multiple wyverns. Meanwhile, Amur and Chris would guard the three idiots while the five of them concentrated their fire on whichever of the wyverns Shiromaru had engaged was closest.
"Just to confirm — this time, we're not worrying too much about materials. Top priority is wiping out the wyvern flock. Second is making sure there are no deaths or serious injuries... especially the three of them. And third is minimizing collateral damage to the surroundings, I guess?"
"That last one is something only you or Merlin can pull off, so it doesn't really concern us."
When Chris said that, everyone except Grandpa and me nodded in agreement. She had a point — preventing collateral damage would require some seriously powerful magic, so it probably didn't apply to Chris, who could only use (or rather, was only allowed to use) basic spells.
"Alright, now that we've gone over everything, shall we go deliver the final blow to the wyvern flock? Jeanne and Aura, get inside Slarin and wait in the hole. Raiden, stand guard outside and watch for anything approaching."
Everyone nodded at my words, picking up their weapons or filing into the hole. Among them, only Raiden remained standing tall and perfectly still, not moving a muscle. In Golem terms, you'd call it "at rest" — or in biological terms, "asleep."
"We have to walk a little from here, huh... What a pain."
"Well, that can't be helped. If we travel by wagon and get attacked along the way, it'll take time to get organized."
"Just think of it as a warm-up. Lion has stamina to spare, anyway."
"You three, stop your useless chatter and keep a proper watch! The wyverns won't just come from the front!"
Chris stopped the trio with her usual retort, though her voice was different this time. Certainly, we were currently heading while keeping the entire flock of wyverns within view, but there was no guarantee that an individual wouldn't suddenly appear from a different direction to rejoin the flock. Well, while I was using 'Search,' the chances of a surprise attack from a wyvern were quite low, but since I couldn't rule out the possibility of a wyvern with 'Concealment' being among them, it was best to proceed with vigilance.
"Roger!"
"Yes!"
"Okaaay!"
Chris nodded, seemingly satisfied, having heard their responses. Of the three, just from the replies, Cain still sounded like he was fooling around, but looking at his expression, you could tell he was trying to relax his own tension by deliberately acting as he always did.
"Tenma, it seems some of them have noticed us."
"Indeed so. They haven't started coming this way yet, but several are flying around with their gazes fixed on us... In a little while, all the wyverns will likely notice us. Everyone, be careful."
Amour and Grandpa, flying in the sky, noticed the change in the wyverns and spoke to everyone—particularly directed at the three—to stay alert, framing it as a report to me.
"We're about halfway... This would be a good place to fight, if we have to."
The area we were in was a plain, and just a hundred meters further, the ground would change to hard earth with rocks protruding here and there. While firmer ground was better for moving around, I wanted to avoid the downside of having to watch out for rocks and stones scattered at our feet.
"Should we cast some light magic into the flock and provoke them?"
Grandpa, who also wanted to fight here if possible, was the first to agree with my suggestion. The other members agreed with a feeling of "if Tenma and Grandpa say so," and readied their weapons, prepared to respond at any moment.
"Heave-ho!"
I fired a 'Fireball' toward the center of the wyvern flock. This 'Fireball' didn't have enough power to inflict serious damage even if it hit a wyvern, but it was enough to provoke them. Sure enough, the wyverns angered by the hit drew the rest, and the entire flock headed our way.
"One, two, three... There are twenty-five in total? That's quite a few."
"Indeed so... Normally, this would be a moment to flee without looking back, but with Tenma here, I don't feel the slightest bit of losing."
"I'll do my best too!"
"No, I'd rather run away, honestly... If things get dangerous, you'd better save us, Tenma!"
"Tch! Those lizards are coming right at me so I can beat them! What idiots!"
"Is that really what you think?"
"I wanna run away right now!!!"
"Yeah, I figured."
Thus began the battle, and from start to finish, it unfolded entirely in our favor.
First, Grandpa and I unleashed a barrage of 'Air Bullet' and 'Air Cutter' spells, shredding the wings of most wyverns and sending them crashing to the ground. A few individuals managed to dodge our magic, but the instant I spotted them, I shot into the sky and sliced their heads clean off. That way, I was able to secure wyvern hide membranes from several specimens in good condition.
Among the wyverns that had fallen to the ground, a number had broken their necks from the impact or were rendered immobile by concussions and the like. The ones that could still move frantically tried to take off by flapping their wings, but with gaping holes in their membranes or their wings sliced clean off, they couldn't get airborne and ended up taking Shiromaru's attacks in a nearly defenseless state.
Since Shiromaru concentrated his strikes on the relatively soft base of the neck, some wyverns had their heads severed in a single blow, and even those that didn't were left with what could only be described as fatal wounds.
Amour finished off the ones Shiromaru had missed by smashing their skulls with his weapon, dispatching them one by one with sure, methodical strokes.
Chris watched over the three while plunging her sword into the necks of wyverns, and the three of them fought together in coordination against the beasts.
Solomon pounced from above on a wyvern that was about to charge the three, pinned it down, and tore its neck clean off with his jaws.
After casting his initial spells, Grandpa shifted to covering the group and keeping watch on our surroundings, making sure none of the other members were in danger.
As I kept an eye on everyone, I collected the slain wyverns into my Magic Bag one after another.
"Oh no, I'm dying..."
"I can't move another step..."
"Tomorrow's muscle soreness is a guaranteed given at this point..."
"All three of you are so pathetic."
"Says Chris, but your knees are shaking too."
The three of them, perhaps released from their extreme tension, all collapsed to the ground the instant they dealt the finishing blow to the last wyvern. Chris looked down at the three of them while saying harsh things, but as Amour had said, her knees were buckling too — if the other three hadn't been there, she would have been the first to plop down on the ground or flop over onto her back.
Amour was clearly tired too, but not as much as the three of them or Chris. She was breathing hard, but still seemed to have energy to spare.
"Even I, who had the easiest time of it, am quite exhausted, so it's only natural that you three would be. Let's hurry and take a bath and relax a bit."
Grandpa said that to cover for the three of them, but in reality he'd been moving around more than any of them, so saying he had the easiest time wasn't really accurate. If anything, I was the one who had it easiest.
"Hmm... but Tenma used magic right from the start and was the first to take down a wyvern, so I don't think it was easy for him."
"That's right. Looking at the numbers alone, Tenma took down about a fifth of all of them, so rather than saying he had it easy, you could say he was conserving his stamina to stay mobile in case something came up?"
Being backed up by Amour and Chris made me blush a little, but fortunately Grandpa was the only one who noticed. Well, his grinning was what tipped Albert and the others off, but they were too exhausted to move, so I managed to smooth it over.
"Well then, shall we go pick up Jeanne and the others... Actually, can you three even move?"
"No way..."
"Sorry, I can't move."
"I'm sorry, I can't take a single step, and I don't want to..."
Since they said that, I had no choice but to go pick up Jeanne and the others by myself. The rest of them could regroup with Jeanne and the others and then come pick us up in Raiden's wagon, or maybe we could set up camp early in the forest where Jeanne and the others were.
Thinking that, I headed toward the forest where I'd left Jeanne and the others, but...
"What on earth happened..."
What I saw was a hideout that had become the site of a massacre. Around the hill where Jeanne and the others had hidden — on top of the hideout — blood and flesh were splattered everywhere, and the stench of blood and entrails was so overwhelming it made me want to reflexively clamp my nose shut.
Amid that grim scene, what caught my eye the most was Raiden, standing there composedly despite being drenched in blood.
"Wait — are Jeanne and the others okay!"
So caught up by the scene before me, I suddenly remembered Jeanne and the others and hurried toward the entrance of the hideout, but before I could get there, Slarin crawled out through the air vent.
"Slarin, are they okay?"
As if answering my question, Slarin opened its mouth wide to create an opening. The two who emerged from inside didn't appear to be injured, but their faces were pale — whether from poor health or simply feeling unwell, it was hard to tell.
"So, what happened?"
"After Tenma and the others disappeared, a horde of Orcs showed up here. I'm not sure why, but the Orcs seemed to notice Aura and me and tried to dig into the ground. That's when we ended up fighting them off with Raiden..."
"So that's why there's blood and flesh scattered everywhere like this..."
Most likely, the Orcs had picked up on Jeanne and Aura's scent. Goblins probably wouldn't have noticed, but Orcs are pig-like and have a pretty keen sense of smell. All the more so when it came to the scent of women.
"Lord Tenma, it wasn't just Orcs that appeared here. It looked like Ogres showed up too."
According to Aura's explanation, a little while after Raiden and the horde of Orcs had started fighting, the footsteps and voices of what appeared to be two Monster Ogres could be heard (the voices were apparently similar to Garibar's, and from that the two of them judged them to be Ogres).
"So that's why everything's been torn up like this..."
If it had been only the Orc horde, Raiden would have dealt with them more easily, but once two Ogres were added to the mix, the surrounding damage was apparently unavoidable. Still, it seemed unlikely that the Orcs and Ogres would have fought together, so in reality it must have been a three-way free-for-all, with Raiden simultaneously taking on both the Orc horde and the two Ogres.
Apparently, there was no need for Slarin to get involved in that fight. Slarin had gone outside once to check on things, and at that time briefly brought the two of them up to the surface, but in that short time the smell of blood and viscera made them feel ill. The stench of blood and organs must have been seeping into the hole.
"That means we can't stay in this place today."
When I told them I had planned to rest here today, the two of them unanimously objected.
"Well, that smell might lure other Monsters out. All right, you two ride Raiden and go pick up the others. Slarin and I will do a bit of cleanup here."
If we left things as they were, we might end up spawning a plague or attracting a horde of Undead. Besides, since everything had been reduced to mincemeat — Raiden's main attacks being stomping, body slams, and magic attacks, with the magic attacks including body slams wreathed in lightning — there was no salvaging materials like meat, but we could still harvest magic cores and such, so we might as well secure those while tidying up.
"We'll bury the waste in the hole, then spread the dirt that was piled on the lid back over the surroundings?"
The tiny scraps of flesh and blood would probably be broken down by insects and the like, so we just needed to toss the larger chunks of meat and bone into the hole.
We had the Golem help with the work, so we were able to finish almost exactly when everyone arrived. Everyone — especially the Three Idiots — had apparently heard from Jeanne and Aura that they couldn't rest at this location, and they wanted to head to another candidate site right away. According to Lion, there was a small village a few hours' walk from here, and on Raiden it would take less than two hours, so we unanimously decided to make for that village.
"Ugh... we finally made it. Thank goodness we got here before it got pitch dark. My whole body is aching."
Chris, sitting beside me, spotted the village and stretched while loosening her stiff muscles. The driver's seat, with all the vibrations from the journey right after a battle, had clearly been rough on her — her entire body had gone rigid.
From the forest to this village, we had taken turns in the driver's seat, but the Three Idiots didn't even have the energy to sit up there, so the first half was handled by Amour and Gramps, and the second half by me and Chris, taking turns holding Raiden's reins. Incidentally, we had judged it too risky to put Jeanne and Aura in the driver's seat as well, since they were still affected by that stench, so we had them tend to the three invalids inside the carriage. As it stood, all three of them were still out of commission.
"Anyway, Chris, let's the two of us go explain the situation to the villagers first. Ideally Lion and the others would go, but they're clearly in no shape for it."
With three people out of commission, it made sense for Chris (a Royal Guard), whose official rank was the next highest after the three of them, and me — the leader of this group — to go explain the situation. Incidentally, if you lined up the official ranks in this group, it went: Albert, eldest son of a Duke; Lion, eldest son of a Margrave; and Cain, eldest son of a Marquis; Chris, a Royal Guard; Amour, daughter of a Viscount; Gramps, a former noble and the Sage; me, a commoner and adventurer despite being the Dragonslayer; Jeanne, a slave and former Viscount's daughter; and Aura, also a slave. As a side note, if Jeanne were ever freed from slavery, someone who didn't know the full story might think that Jeanne, the former Viscount's daughter, outranked me. That was just how humble my official title was.
Just as I expected, when we were led to the village head by the villagers, I was treated as Chris's appendage the entire time. Some of the villagers were even glaring at me for being with the beautiful Chris... They probably thought they were being subtle about it, but it was completely obvious to both Chris and me. If anything, pretending not to notice was the harder part.
All that changed the moment Lion showed up. I had already told the village head that Lion wasn't feeling well, but Lion insisted it would be better to greet him personally, so we went before the sun had fully set. That was when Lion gave a detailed introduction of me, and between the stunned village head and the villagers who had been eavesdropping from hiding, my true identity spread through the village in the blink of an eye. For Lion, it was probably part of a strategy to show that he and I — who were supposedly at odds in the past — were on good terms, but the village head and the others took it as a warning about having treated me lightly, and just like that, their attitude toward me did a complete one-eighty. As for those villagers who had been glaring at me, they did not so much as appear in front of me again before we left the village — they did not even show up in my line of sight. Out of curiosity, I expanded the range of my Search ability and found a group of people camped out a good distance from the village, so they must have fled the moment they learned who I really was.
Chris, the only one besides me who knew about the whole thing, noticed that every trace of the glaring villagers had vanished, figured out why, and spent the rest of our time in the village looking thoroughly amused. When Lion saw that, he asked, "Was there a handsome guy in the village?" — and got glared at for his trouble, as usual.